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Abstract

Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is a stress and overuse injury that presents as pain on the medial aspect of the lower two-thirds of the tibia. It is most often caused by repetitive actions on hard surfaces such as running, marching, and dancing. Individuals most affected by MTSS are runners, members of the military, dancers, and athletes that play soccer, volleyball and basketball. While MTSS has a relatively standard presentation of pain on the medial aspect of the tibia, it can occasionally be mistaken for other injuries such as stress fractures or compartment syndrome. If a diagnosis is unsure, methods such as x-ray, bone-scan, and MRI can be utilized to better obtain the correct diagnosis. A variety of treatments exist for MTSS including, ice, massage, muscle strengthening, and rest. A combination of these various techniques is most often what is employed. In this study, the effectiveness of a set of resistance ankle exercises in combination with ice and massage was tested and compared to that of ice and massage alone. The hypothesis was that athletes receiving the exercises as part of their treatment, in addition to the icing and massaging, would have a greater decrease in pain from MTSS than athletes just receiving ice and massage as treatment. The exercises would strengthen the muscles of the lower leg that, when weak, can contribute to the development of MTSS. Results indicated that the exercises yielded a more significant decrease in pain from MTSS than ice and massage alone.